The Tale of Tristan and Isolde -- BY: Cari Zellmann B-3--
--This is a tragic love story that has been passed down from generation to generation. The story took place in the Middle Ages. Background
Conception of Tristan
Tristan's father was named Rivalen (in other stories he is a king)
Rivalen shared a fief with Morgan
Rivalen fell in love with King Mark's sister, Blancheflor
They conceived a child
Rivalen went back to Armenye and learned that Morgan had invaded his home in his absence
Rivalen died in battle against Morgan
Blancheflor delivering her baby boy
wanted to leave the baby with her brother
She named the baby Tristan because he only brought grief to her and she would soon die from delivering the child
The Young Tristan
Tristan was taught by Governal
he became well educated in the arts, cultures, and how to rule. He learned skills like riding, fencing and hunting.
When Tristan was 14 he was abducted by Norwegian merchants to sell as a slave
but was left on an unknown shore when they thought God was angry at them
It was four years before he was found
King Mark discovered that Tristan was his nephew and received him with joy
King Mark knighted Tristan and provided armor and a war horse
he also received 20 squires and 100 knights to serve under him
Tristan returned to Brittany to avenge his fathers death by killing Morgan.
Tristan gave the land and title duke of Brittany to his foster father, Ronald
Tristan and Isolde meet
Tristan fights Morholt
Morholt is a very powerful giant and a king
Tristan kills the giant but is poisoned and is forced to obtain help from Morholt's sister Isolde if he is to live
Tristan travels to Ireland in disguise
After 40 days he is healed and returned
Tristan Returns to Ireland
Three noblemen began to conspire a way to rid themselves of Tristan
while trying to convince the king to marry and have an heir the king told them that he would only marry the woman's whose hair matched the golden blonde strand in the birds beak.
Tristan told the king of Princess Isolde's great beauty (both the Queen and princess have the same name)
but since Ireland and Cornwall were enemies it was not likely that they would be married.
The noblemen saw a way to get rid of Tristan and suggested that Tristan should retrieve Isolde for his uncle (hopping that Morholt's family would see through his disguise and kill him)
Tristan agreed
Tristan again journeyed to Ireland and found a way to win the king's daughter
The king had promised that whoever could kill the dragon that was terrorizing Ireland could marry his daughter.
Tristan killed the dragon and cut off it's tongue as proof
but the poison in the tongue overcame him and he passed out
Goram's seneschal's found the dead dragon but no dragon slayer so he decided to cut off the head and take credit for the kill
Isolde and her mother did not believe that the seneschal's claim for he was a coward
The two women discovered Tristan's unconscious body at the river and knew that he had fought the dragon
The secretly brought him back to the castle and brought his claim to the king
Since they both had a piece of the dragon they were to fight in single haded combat
While Tristan was bathing Princess Isolde cleaned his sword and noticed a notch in the edge she compared it to the metal piece found in her uncle Morholt head and realized that he was her uncles killer.
The Princess planned to kill Tristan but he managed to convince her otherwise
Princess Isolde told he mother of Tristan's true identity and she agreed to help because the prospect of Isolde and King Marks children becoming the rulers of Ireland and England.
The next day Tristan proved that he was the true dragon slayer by presenting the tongue
Tristan and Isolde fall in Love
Before leaving The Queen prepared a love potion f and gave it to a servant to secretly give to her daughter and the king
Along the way back Tristan and Isolde became thirsty, the two unknowingly drank a wine bottle containing the potion
the two instantly fell in love
When the servant realized what had happened he informed the two that their love was from a spell but they could not help but love each other
As soon as the king laid eyes on Isolde he fell in love with her, the two were married the next day.
After the wedding Isolde traded places with Brangwain in the night
she once again spent the knight in her lovers arms
In the morning Isolde planned to switch back with Brangwain but before she did Brangwain gave the rest of the wine that contained the love potion to King Mark,so he was now madly in love with Isolde
In fear that Brangwain would betray her Isolde planned to have had Brangwain killed
Brangwain heard of the plan and went willingly with the to serf who were going to kill her, but the two took pity on her and left her tied to a tree.
The serfs returned with the false knews that they had killed Bangwain, Isolde was overcome with grief
Seeing her like this, the two serfs told her that they had lied and went back and retrieved Bangwain.
the two were happily reunited
Tristan Saves Isolde
one day Rote player called Gandin came to the court The king promised to give him anything he wanted in return for more of his music
When he finished Gandin asked for Isolde the king had no choice but to release her.
While riding back to Gandin's ship they ran into Tristan. When the tide was too high to get Isolde onto the ship Tristan ofered to use his horse to assist them.
As soon as Isolde mounted the horse they took of and returned to the castle
Tristan was disappointed in his uncle for making such a foolish promise
The Kings Suspicion
--there are two versions of this section of the story
In the first a steward or waiter discovered Tristan and Isolde's affair and that he told the King
In disbelief the king decided to test his wife, He asked her who she would like to stay with during his up coming hinting trip. When she answered Tristan he became nervous.
later that night Isolde told Brangwain about he alone time with Tristan. Brangwain could tell that it was a test and that she whould go and change her response. This resolved his suspicions, but they returned when Isolde told the king that he should keep Tristan around for her sake.
In the second story the three noble men who hated Tristan advised the King to hire the dwarf named Melot to spy on Tristan and Isolde.
the dwarf brought back prof of the affair
In both versions The king found out about Tristan and Isolde's plan to meet under a tree and hide up inside it
that night the two did indeed meet under the tree
but Tristan and Isolde saw the Kings shadow so instead of kissing the only talked of the noble men influencing the king against them
After hearing this the King was convinced that his wife and nephew were still loyal, although the noble men still had doubts
The flour trap floor
There are again two versions of this story
The events are the same but the endings are different.
The three noble men continued to tell the king of Tristan and Isolde's affair.
They insisted that they hire the dwarf Melot to set a trap
when they went to sleep Mark would King Mark would sleep with his wife Isolde and Tristan would sleep in the other bed
The dwarf slept in the corner hiding in the dark
Before going to sleep The king went out on a false errand and the dwarf sprinkled flour on the ground inbetween the beds
After they left Tristan noticed the flour and jumped from his bed to Isolde's careful not to disturb the flour
While in Isolde's bed Tristan's previous wound split open
When the two heard the king returning Tristan jumped back into his bed and pretended to be asleep.
The king glanced at the unmoved flour and noticed a trail of blood leading from Tristan's bed to Isolde's he saw a pool of blood in both beds and knew what had happened
In the first story King mark realizes that Tristan and Isolde are having an affair but he doesn't arrest them
In the second they are both charged with treason and arrested
--This is a tragic love story that has been passed down from generation to generation. The story took place in the Middle Ages.
Background
Tristan and Isolde meet
- Tristan fights Morholt
- Morholt is a very powerful giant and a king
- Tristan kills the giant but is poisoned and is forced to obtain help from Morholt's sister Isolde if he is to live
- Tristan travels to Ireland in disguise
- After 40 days he is healed and returned
Tristan Returns to Ireland- Three noblemen began to conspire a way to rid themselves of Tristan
- while trying to convince the king to marry and have an heir the king told them that he would only marry the woman's whose hair matched the golden blonde strand in the birds beak.
- Tristan told the king of Princess Isolde's great beauty (both the Queen and princess have the same name)
- but since Ireland and Cornwall were enemies it was not likely that they would be married.
- The noblemen saw a way to get rid of Tristan and suggested that Tristan should retrieve Isolde for his uncle (hopping that Morholt's family would see through his disguise and kill him)
- Tristan agreed
- Tristan again journeyed to Ireland and found a way to win the king's daughter
- The king had promised that whoever could kill the dragon that was terrorizing Ireland could marry his daughter.
- Tristan killed the dragon and cut off it's tongue as proof
- but the poison in the tongue overcame him and he passed out
- Goram's seneschal's found the dead dragon but no dragon slayer so he decided to cut off the head and take credit for the kill
- Isolde and her mother did not believe that the seneschal's claim for he was a coward
- The two women discovered Tristan's unconscious body at the river and knew that he had fought the dragon
- The secretly brought him back to the castle and brought his claim to the king
- Since they both had a piece of the dragon they were to fight in single haded combat
- While Tristan was bathing Princess Isolde cleaned his sword and noticed a notch in the edge she compared it to the metal piece found in her uncle Morholt head and realized that he was her uncles killer.
- The Princess planned to kill Tristan but he managed to convince her otherwise
- Princess Isolde told he mother of Tristan's true identity and she agreed to help because the prospect of Isolde and King Marks children becoming the rulers of Ireland and England.
- The next day Tristan proved that he was the true dragon slayer by presenting the tongue
Tristan and Isolde fall in Love- Before leaving The Queen prepared a love potion f and gave it to a servant to secretly give to her daughter and the king
- Along the way back Tristan and Isolde became thirsty, the two unknowingly drank a wine bottle containing the potion
- the two instantly fell in love
- When the servant realized what had happened he informed the two that their love was from a spell but they could not help but love each other
- As soon as the king laid eyes on Isolde he fell in love with her, the two were married the next day.
- After the wedding Isolde traded places with Brangwain in the night
- she once again spent the knight in her lovers arms
- In the morning Isolde planned to switch back with Brangwain but before she did Brangwain gave the rest of the wine that contained the love potion to King Mark,so he was now madly in love with Isolde
- In fear that Brangwain would betray her Isolde planned to have had Brangwain killed
- Brangwain heard of the plan and went willingly with the to serf who were going to kill her, but the two took pity on her and left her tied to a tree.
- The serfs returned with the false knews that they had killed Bangwain, Isolde was overcome with grief
- Seeing her like this, the two serfs told her that they had lied and went back and retrieved Bangwain.
- the two were happily reunited
Tristan Saves IsoldeThe Kings Suspicion
--there are two versions of this section of the story
- In the first a steward or waiter discovered Tristan and Isolde's affair and that he told the King
- In disbelief the king decided to test his wife, He asked her who she would like to stay with during his up coming hinting trip. When she answered Tristan he became nervous.
- later that night Isolde told Brangwain about he alone time with Tristan. Brangwain could tell that it was a test and that she whould go and change her response. This resolved his suspicions, but they returned when Isolde told the king that he should keep Tristan around for her sake.
- In the second story the three noble men who hated Tristan advised the King to hire the dwarf named Melot to spy on Tristan and Isolde.
- the dwarf brought back prof of the affair
- In both versions The king found out about Tristan and Isolde's plan to meet under a tree and hide up inside it
- that night the two did indeed meet under the tree
- but Tristan and Isolde saw the Kings shadow so instead of kissing the only talked of the noble men influencing the king against them
- After hearing this the King was convinced that his wife and nephew were still loyal, although the noble men still had doubts
The flour trap floor- There are again two versions of this story
- The events are the same but the endings are different.
- The three noble men continued to tell the king of Tristan and Isolde's affair.
- They insisted that they hire the dwarf Melot to set a trap
- when they went to sleep Mark would King Mark would sleep with his wife Isolde and Tristan would sleep in the other bed
- The dwarf slept in the corner hiding in the dark
- Before going to sleep The king went out on a false errand and the dwarf sprinkled flour on the ground inbetween the beds
- After they left Tristan noticed the flour and jumped from his bed to Isolde's careful not to disturb the flour
- While in Isolde's bed Tristan's previous wound split open
- When the two heard the king returning Tristan jumped back into his bed and pretended to be asleep.
- The king glanced at the unmoved flour and noticed a trail of blood leading from Tristan's bed to Isolde's he saw a pool of blood in both beds and knew what had happened
- In the first story King mark realizes that Tristan and Isolde are having an affair but he doesn't arrest them
- In the second they are both charged with treason and arrested
The Hot Iron test